By now I am sure many of you have seen and perhaps formed your own opinion about the January cover of Vanity Fair with Tiger Woods looking very much like (in my opinion) a jailhouse inmate who has been asked "what are you in for?" more times than can be counted...
The photographer was Annie Lebovitz... and is renowned for taking artistic,off the wall photos of A list celebrities. Even though this shoot was taken before the CHEETAH scandal hit the fan, I can't help but see the foreshadowing in it all. As well as question what exactly is VF trying to communicate with this.
I love magazines because they are very visual in the communication targeted messages and am saddened that the industry is not what it used to be. But I am a fan of the visual communication aspect and influence that magazines have. So when I saw the raw cover, I began to wonder what exactly is the message they are trying to have perceived?
Is Tiger the newest [black] monster athlete on the scene?
Should after flocking to and bowing down at his golf clubs, should [white] women now run for the hills?
Or is this just a plain exploit to just sell a magazine, since the industry is unfortunately suffering?
Whatever the case may be, it has left me feeling some kind of way. Exploitation is really sickening and it hurts to see the magazine taking that sort of route. I do not condone Tiger's extreme infidelity in any way shape or form, but printing this particular photo as the cover for Vanity Fair to try and promote whatever negative underlying image is very disheartening.. Can someone please help me understand?!
I think this cover would have never been chosen if his infidelity had never leaked. His image would still be the standard golf course walking, fist pumping, Tournament winning champion, that we have been seeing for the past 15 years.
What do you Fabulous Brown Girls think about the cover?!
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Let's not forget that good ol' Annie was the one who shot the infamous Lebron James Vogue cover (which painted James as the "mad brute" King Kong to be destroyed in a World War I recruitment poster).
ReplyDeleteIt's fairly suspicious that another Black man has been captured in a less than flattering light through Leibovitz's lens. My concern isn't foreshadowing, it's the media treatment of the few celebrities we have.
Let me just say that I'm tired of seeing his cheating ass on anything. This picture is tasteless and I don't understand why he posed for it in the first place. Do women find him sexy? Well, I don't. Especially not with that little bit of nipple hair. Go away, Tiger. Quick, fast and in a hurry.
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